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The cougar’s reported behaviour is consistent with an animal that has been in captivity before, said Jolanta Kowalski, senior media relations officer with the MNR. Nevertheless, residents should exercise caution, she said.

The cougar was first spotted in the Edwardson Road and Cranberry Lake Road area Monday, July 7, said Edwardson Road resident Roman Zakrajsek. Mr. Zakrajsek was getting ready for bed at 9:15 p.m. when his two dogs started barking and acting strangely.

“When I looked outside there was a great big kitty cat sitting there,” said Mr. Zakrajsek.

He got a shovel and pounded it on the ground to scare the cougar.

The cougar was “beautiful,” he said, adding he hoped it wouldn’t be harmed. He reported the sighting to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the next night another resident reported a sighting to the OPP. There were several more sightings.

On Thursday morning, Cranberry Lake Road resident Jean Wilson said her dog sniffed out the cougar under her deck.

“There is a nice shady spot under the deck and it just curled up there,” said Ms. Wilson.

The big cat later moved to sit under a tree on the Wilson property, where it stayed until around 3:30 p.m., said OPP Constable Steve Bates. He estimated the cougar between 150 to 200 pounds. The OPP had increased patrols in the area after the cougar report came in on Tuesday, said Const. Bates. An officer was in the area around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 10 when the Wilsons told police about the cougar on their property.

Police stayed on the property until the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) arrived with a trap, normally used for bears, said Lorraine Norris, senior fish and wildlife specialist with the MNR. Ms. Norris said there is a spot for the cougar at the Peterborough Zoo, if it is captured. The trap was loaded with T-bone steaks and a chicken.

But as of Friday morning the trap remained empty, said Kent Hodgin, MNR conservation officer.

Resident Tammy Chamberlain said she’s keeping her four cats and three dogs inside until the cougar is gone.

“We made sure all our pets are inside,” she said.

In her seven years living on Cranberry Lake Road, she has encountered plenty of wildlife but never a cougar, she said. She was able to capture a few photos of the cougar on the Wilson property.

Karen Longwell is a photographer/reporter for the Northumberland News.